Song of Lovers Lost
by Merely Corroborative Detail
Summary: Hatsuharu is a knight-errant, brave and strong. But will he be able to find and rescue his beloved Prince Yuki? A mediaeval themed yaoi Chivalry Romance in three Parts. The story is now complete; I heartily thank my readers and commentators.
1. Chapter the First

_Well, this story is somewhat different in tone from what I've written hitherto. It's set in Mediaeval Europe, and Akito the anime version.__ I don't usually do these little intros, but this one really needed specifying. So imagine Haru's a knight, Yuki's a kidnapped Prince held hostage, and enjoy!_

In days gone by in a far-off land there lived a valorous knight. Though he wasn't even near the age of twenty, he was fair in form and strong in body, and could slay a bear in half a minute to oblige you; indeed, if you caught him in his good graces, he was the most sympathetic man you'd ever meet; but if you caught him in his bad graces, you might as well start running. His skin was pale and his eyes were dreamy, but the most marked thing on him was his hair, strange and double as his character. It was of two different colours: black and white.

He was a knight-errant; he lived nowhere and stayed nowhere very long, but, always clad in the immaculate white of mourning –for that was the colour of mourning back then- he travelled from place to place searching for one thing and one thing only that he held dearer than riches, fame or life itself. His name was Hatsuharu, and at the start of this story, he approached Castle Sohma, the house of the mighty but harsh Lord Akito.

"My good man," he asked a labourer as he approached him on horseback "Are you Lord Akito's vassal?"

"Aye, milord," answered the labourer.

"Is this Lord Akito's land?" asked the night.

"Aye, milord," answered the labourer.

"And is that Lord Akito's castle?"

"Aye, milord,"

"Thank you!"

"Godspeed, milord!"

And Hatsuharu rode forth. He was in a vast and fertile field of golden wheat and trees heavily laden with fruit; a calm river meandered through the field as the Sun set behind the far-off mountains, and the straight pebble road he was upon ended in a great rock in the field's centre. Around the rock were scattered the houses and shops of a large village, and perched atop it was Castle Sohma. Mighty Castle Sohma, with its great stone towers and its high walls, which guarded the one thing that Hatsuharu desired the most…

***

Inside Castle Sohma vast stone hall, in the dim shadows of twilight, Lord Akito was dining with his all his court. To his left was seated his steward, Shigure and to his right his doctor, Hatori; lower down were all his courtiers, and the table was laden with all manner of meats and fruits and many other victuals, as the gloomy confabulation drew them into the night, like it did every day in that castle.

Yet then, the routine was broken, for the great oaken door at the end of the hall was opened, and in came a page boy.

"There is a visitor for you, Milord" he said.

Lord Akito didn't look up; he paused for a moment before answering.

"A visitor?" he asked.

"Yes, Milord," said the page "He wishes to speak to you.

"Well, he'll have to wait," said Lord Akito, still not looking up.

"He says his name is Hatsuharu, Milord," said the page.

Then, Lord Akito stopped. And, composed, he let his spoon from his hand, and raised his eyes to the page with a look of interest.

"Hatsuharu?"

"Yes, Milord…"

"In that case," said Lord Akito "Let him in."

And he started eating again, as the page went to bring the guest. Amongst the people in the room, there was much discussion as to what was going on.

"Do you know him, Milord?" asked Shigure the steward.

"I know the name…" muttered Lord Akito, and he brought a small bit of food to his mouth; he didn't eat very much.

But he did know the name. He'd heard; he'd heard it many times; he'd heard it on his own bed, whispered amidst muffled sobs in the night, and he'd heard it shouted in desperate pleading moans in his own room…

Then the door opened:

"Sir Hatsuharu!" announced the page.

And, as everyone stood silent waiting to see him, this most important guest, in came Hatsuharu, clad in his white clothes with his white sword at his waist. He then bowed before Lord Akito, who was most interested indeed.

"Hail, Lord Akito," said Hatsuharu.

Lord Akito nodded politely.

"Sir Hatsuharu," he said then "Is that your name?"

"It is…" said Hatsuharu.

"Very well, then, my pageboy is not lying…" said Lord Akito "And what, I pray, brings you to these my splendid halls?"

"There is something in your castle which is not yours," said Hatsuharu.

There was a low murmur amongst the courtiers. What was this young man saying?

"Really?" said Lord Akito.

"Yes," said Hatsuharu firmly "You hold in your castle what is not yours!"

"Then you propose to rob me?" said Lord Akito.

"Not necessarily," said Hatsuharu with a grin "I've come to see if you really have it, and then politely ask for it."

"Ah!" said Lord Akito "Well, in that case, feel free to stay, sit at my table and sleep in my beds… Yet I warn you, there is little you'll be getting from me whether by the power of your words or the power of your sword. But come… we are not enemies, and I am no boar: sit and eat!"

He was grinning even more slyly than Hatsuharu.

Then, the murmur of the courtiers was even louder and more perplexed, as the knight in white sat at their table, and nothing distressing happened. Everyone was very curious, yet nobody did anything interesting, and indeed Hatsuharu was very pleased at the food.

"Why do you wear white?" Shigure the steward ventured to ask. "Whom are you mourning?"

"I mourn the loss of someone precious:" said Hatsuharu, plainly but seriously "Someone who was dearer to me than all the gold in the world."

"Oh," said Shigure "Is that person dead?"

"Gone, though I intend to search for them till the end of my days if I have to, and even after."

"Who is it?"

"My everlasting love."

***

Eventually, they finished eating. The servants and the kitchen maids took away the plates, and the courtiers sat at the empty table, not yet dismissed by their Lord, still wondering what on earth was to happen.

Lord Akito whispered into Doctor Hatori's ear.

"I want to have some fun, Hatori," he said with an evil grin on his face "Shall I bring the boy here? It's obvious he's come looking for the boy…"

"Milord, why should you taunt him?" said Doctor Hatori.

"Because I can," said Lord Akito "And because I want the boy to know I can."

"Very well, Milord," said Doctor Hatori.

Then in a tone jovial but overflowing with malice, Lord Akito addressed his court.

"Shall we have some music?" he asked "Shall we be a bit entertained?"

There was general acquiescing; but Lord Akito wasn't satisfied.

"What does our guest say?" he said, looking Hatsuharu in the eye. "Does he want to listen to some music?"

"Hey," said Hatsuharu coolly, not wanting to show weakness "It's your castle…"

Lord Akito laughed.

"Very well then," he said "Bring in our musician!"

And as Hatsuharu wondered what was going to happen, a pageboy went to fetch the musician; apparently, he wasn't a very sociable musician and hadn't been eating with the company.

"I'm sure you'll love him," said Lord Akito.

Yet when the door opened, all thoughts disappeared from Hatsuharu's mind. His heart froze; it forgot everything, the castle, the food, the courtiers, the searching of half a decade, and overflowed with only this instant. He couldn't believe who had just come in.

"You called for, me, Lord Akito?" said the musician.

And this musician was the fairest youth you'd ever have seen. He wore the finest clothes in the castle, though they paled in comparison to him, and carried a lute strapped to his back. He was obviously of royal ancestry, though humbled by the blows of fate. His hair was pitch-black, and his white complexion was frail and tender, but more beautiful than the sunlight drying the dew off the roses; yet his face wore a deep and surrendered melancholy, and his eyes seemed to beg mercy of anyone who looked at them.

When he saw Hatsuharu, the musician froze in shock and stopped in the middle of the hallway while his jaw dropped; and when Hatsuharu saw the musician, he could only bring himself to mutter but one word as the two young men looked in disbelief.

"Yuki…"

This was the lover he'd been seeking for five endless years.

Akito broke the spell:

"Sir Hatsuharu," he said "I present to you my court musician, Prince Yuki! He is of royal blood, you know, a born Prince! But he's been living here with us for almost five years now…"

Hatsuharu didn't answer.

"What is it?" said Lord Akito "Has the cat gotten your tongues? I hear he's a very unlikeable person, so I wouldn't be surprised…"

Hatsuharu still didn't answer.

"Milord," interrupted Yuki then "Please… may I be excused?"

"No."

"I beg you…"

And the sound of Yuki's voice immediately wrenched Hatsuharu's heart. He would have defended him; he remembered the old love they had for each other. He would have then and there brought out his sword, and freed the boy, slaying everyone that got in his way. Yet he knew he was in a heavily guarded castle whence he could not escape, and that he would sooner or later be overcome; and then God only knew what horrors awaited poor Yuki.

Lord Akito, for his part, was overjoyed with what was happening, and he smiled Hatsuharu such a smile of sadistic malice that it was visible he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Nonsense," he said playfully "You shall play!"

"But…"

"Play!"

This last time, Lord Akito's voice took a threatening, serious tone.

Then, Yuki surrendered and put his lute in front of him. He looked at Hatsuharu in the eye, with that sad look of desperate, lost, hopeless and surrendered love; he'd been whispering Hatsuharu's name amidst muffled sobs when he didn't sleep night, and he'd been shouting it in desperate pleading moans when terrible things were done to him, yet now that he'd come, he saw it all to have been in vain. And so, Yuki began to play.

When he strummed one chord, all the courtiers, servants and guards of the castle were silent, and when he strummed the second chord, they were moved almost to tears; and then when he began to sing, the very stone upon which the castle stood sighed, so beautiful and sad was his song, a song both he and Hatsuharu knew and sang from the days of the carefree, happy love of their boyhood; only Lord Akito wasn't moved.

And this was the first verse of the song:

"_Ah! Leave me not to pine_

_Alone and desolate_

_No fate seemed fair as mine _

_No happiness so great_

_When Nature day by day _

_Had sung in accents clear_

_This joyous roundelay_

_He loves thee, he is here_

_Fa-la-la Fa-la-la-la_

_He love thee, he is here_

_Fa-la-la-la-la-la"_

And this was its second verse:

"_Ah! __I must leave thee here_

_In endless night to dream_

_Where joy is dark and drear _

_And sorrow all supreme_

_Where Nature day by day_

_Shall sing in altered tone_

_This joyous roundelay_

_He loves thee, he is gone_

_Fa-la-la Fa-la-la-la_

_He loves thee, he is gone_

_Fa-la-la-la-la-la"_

On the last fa-la-la, Yuki's voice broke, and a tear rolled down his cheek as he strummed the last chord.

Then, every one was silent. The first one to make a noise was Lord Akito, who clapped joyously. His attendant soon joined in, and so did the doctor and all the courtiers moments later:

"Bravo, bravo!" he said in a mock-praising tone "Beautiful! But why do you cry, silly boy? It's only a song… Play us some more!"

"I… I can't..." said Yuki.

"Play us some more!"

"It's too much to bear…" said Yuki.

"Play!"

"No!" cried Yuki finally; and he broke into tears. Then, not controlling himself, crying, he got up and ran out of the room, his heart shattered in a thousand pieces.

"Well…" said Lord Akito "I'm terribly sorry, but this sort of thing happens to musicians and Princes… they're far too sensitive!"

And then, he looked at Hatsuharu with his old malevolent smile, happy, for he'd accomplished exactly what he wanted: he knew Hatsuharu had come to fetch Yuki, and he'd shown him perfectly well that Yuki was his and that he could do whatever he wanted with the boy.

_Well, I do hope you liked it; this is the first part of an intended trilogy, I pray that you R&R. Also, the song is by Gilbert and Sullivan__, from the Pirates of Penzance –they're talking modern English, so they might as well sing slightly less modern English-, you can find it on video sites as "Stay, Frederic, Stay" or maybe as "Ah, leave me not to pine"._


	2. Chapter the Second

_Caution: uke rape._

_***  
_

The silvery moon shone through the arched stone window as the knight clad in white tried to sleep. Lord Akito had given Hatsuharu the finest bed in the finest room to sleep, yet our hero, who had spent nights of calm rest on beds of pine-needles in the cold forest couldn't close an eye in luxurious Castle Sohma. He lay upon the silken sheets and tossed and turned and groaned, while his mind was tormented by the thought of Prince Yuki:

He'd finally seen him. Finally, he'd cast his eyes on the sole object of his desire, finally, after half a decade, he'd found him… Yet they'd said nothing! They'd said nothing, damn their foolishness, and God knew how many things he'd wanted to say… God knew how many things he'd wanted to do! He'd wanted to hold Yuki. He'd wanted to hold him and tell him everything was alright; to hold him an tell him that he was here now and that he loved him, and that he'd never let him go, to kiss and make love to him like they'd kissed and made love of old and to make the five years of their parting disappear as if they had been only a bad dream.

Yet he'd done nothing! Instead, he'd left him in the clutches of that vile fiend, Lord Akito.

There was no way he could possibly sleep like this… Hatsuharu got up, and, very decided, he scribbled a note on a piece of parchment –the room happened to be equipped with a desk- and left.

Yet Divine Providence works in wondrous ways, and on that day She rewarded the remorse of a lovelorn boy by making it into his saviour, as the reader shall see further down the story.

***

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the castle, there was another room with all its candles alight and all its residents awake.

This room was sumptuously decorated, with fine tapestries and a great sculpted chandelier. The bed in it was hewn from massif oak, and the sheets were made from the finest silk. In it were Prince Yuki and Lord Akito.

Akito, by this point, had pinned Prince Yuki against the wall:

"So," he said in a vicious voice "That's your lover-boy that came here, isn't it?"

Yuki, visibly, was trying desperately to defy him.

"I shan't answer to you," he said, his words trembling "I was born a Plantagenet, a Royal Prince, and you have no right to treat me like this!"

"Do you think he's going to free you, then?" said Lord Akito "Do you sincerely believe that, just because that Sir Hatsuharu waltzes into my castle, you can start running off and disobeying my orders?"

"The truth will prevail!" said Yuki; yet his breaking voice betrayed he almost didn't believe it.

"No," said Akito "I will prevail. I will prevail! I've sent my men to kill Hatsuharu in his room, and tomorrow morning you'll see the little rascal's corpse hanging from my battlements!"

"What?"

"What you heard, you spoilt, undeserving brat; Hatsuharu's going to die!""

Yuki was in disarray. He tried to say something, yet when he opened his mouth, broke into sobs.

"No!" he cried "No, please, don't hurt him!"

"I won't take orders from you.

"Please, milord," repeated Yuki, tears rolling down his cheeks "Please, don't hurt him… I'll do anything you want!"

Then, Akito's look changed. His eyes gleamed with fury at Prince Yuki's plea. And from the sadistic, torturing villain, he was lit up with rage and almost went mad. He hated Yuki, now. He hated all that was pure and good in him, he hated his willing sacrifice, and he hated it because of his own evil. Burning with anger, he struck Yuki across the face, and violently threw him on the ground.

"Lord Akito!" cried Yuki, bringing his to protect himself.

"Insolence!" shouted Akito "Insolent, faithless child! You think he can do something for you? You think he'll save you? He can't! He can't even save himself! You cry his name out in my own Castle every day. You cry his name while I make love to you, while I make you mine. But it's in vain: no matter how much you resist, no matter how much you kick and bite and scream for him, I'll still be the one f*cking you! You think you're the Prince and Sir Hatsuharu is your lover… Well, you're not! Not anymore…All you are now is my wench!"

Then, Akito raped him.

***

Later that night, when this most horrible act was done with, as Lord Akito was walking to his own room through the dark corridors, he was met by a familiar face.

I was the Captain of his Guard.

"Milord," he said "About Sir Hatsuharu…"

"You killed him, didn't you?" said Akito "No problems, I trust?"

"Well…" said the captain, hesitantly "There was one slight impediment…"

Lord Akito glared at him.

"It's… uh…" stuttered the captain, fearing his master's reaction "Well, it's like this: he… he wasn't there."

"He wasn't there?" exclaimed Lord Akito in disbelief.

"No, sir…" said the captain "We went to his room to kill him in his sleep like you ordered us, but all we found was this piece of parchment."

At this, the captain produced the piece of parchment on which Lord Hatsuharu had scribbled a message before leaving his room.

"Give it to me!" snapped Lord Akito, as he snatched the note from the captain. He observed it. It was written in a very hasty hand, though that was to be expected, and it read something like this:

"_Lord Akito_

_I will be brief. __I thank you for your hospitality, but I cannot bring myself to sleep in the house of someone who holds the one I love prisoner. My heart rages that I kill you in the night, but my honour forbids that I commit such a crime, even if it be in retribution of all the crimes you have surely committed. That is why tonight I depart from Castle Sohma, lest it be said that Sir Hatsuharu turned against his host._

_Fear not, however. Tomorrow, I shall return, and I shall not be your guest anymore. I shall come on horseback and in full armour to the gates of your Castle, and I shall challenge you to battle for the liberation of my dear Prince Yuki. You are not a coward or a robber, are you? Be prepared. Be prepared, Lord Akito, God help you if you aren't._

_Sir Hatsuharu_

_The Black Knight"_

As Akito read the letter, rage grew once again inside him. And by the time he had finished it he was trembling all over; yet he withheld himself. And crushing the parchment into a nice, compact little ball, he told his Captain:

"Let the boy come; I'll be waiting for him."

Then everyone went to sleep, and Hatsuharu was indeed out of Castle Sohma, saved by the foul assassination attempt thanks to his own noble indignation. Yet as he lay down on his bed, Akito couldn't get one question out of his mind.

Sir Hatsuharu, if he remembered correctly –and he did- had been dressed in white; why on earth did he sign as "the Black Knight"?


	3. Chapter the Third

_Okay, some Mediaevalist specifications ere we begin, just in case some of the readers didn't know:_

_-A Duchy is the land ruled by a Duke; a Duke is the most important aristocrat in a Kingdom after a King and a Prince, so understandably a Duchy is very large.  
_

_-A joust is a contest between two knights where they basically rush at each other on horseback with lances and try to knock each other off the saddles._

_-A Destrier is a kind of warhorse._

_-The Catalans are a nation within modern Spain; in the Middle Ages, they were at the head of a large commercial/naval empire with possessions all across the Mediterranean, with its capital at Barcelona.  
_

_-The Plantagenets, to whom Yuki claims relation, were the Royal Dynasty that governed England during a very long part of the Middle Ages. The first Plantagenet is William the Conqueror, so named because he, well, conquered England. Other famous Plantagenets King Richard Lion-Hearted, King John the Landless -known for his role as the villain in Robin Hood- and Henry IV. Not the one with the wives, that was Henry VIII, Henry IV was the baddie in Joan of Arc. For those of you who are about King Arthur, no, he wasn't a Plantagenet, even if he did live in the Middle Ages, he reigned a very long time before them_

_-The Valois were a Royal Dynasty ruling France.  
_

* * *

The sun was rising over Lord Akito's fiefs. Already, the dew spread on the golden fields by the rosy-fingered dawn was dry, and labourers and craftsmen were busying themselves in their respective employments. In that same vein, behind the massive stone walls of Castle Sohma, Lord Akito was busying himself in his own favourite employment: plotting. He was sitting at his breakfast table, in one of the smaller halls of his Castle. His breakfasts, as opposed to the sumptuous dinners he would organize with his court, were very frugal, and attendance to them was permitted only to his steward and his doctor.

All three of the company were in a quite heated discussion. Sir Hatsuharu had come back, and with very firm propositions.

"Then, Shigure," said Lord Akito irately "Do you propose we let him in?"

"Not at all, milord,' objected the steward "Not at all. I simply propose that you honourably accept Sir Hatsuharu's challenge."

"Accept his challenge?" said Lord Akito "Do I look like an idiot? He came to the gates or our castle, demanding that we hold a joust with my Prince Yuki as the prize… A joust, imagine that! I could have him shot, and that would be the end of it!"  
"Well, yes..." said Shigure "I suppose you could, but he's on horseback in full armour outside the gates and would probably get away before any of our arrows actually got through him… But that's beside the point."

"And the point would be?" asked Lord Akito.

"Your image, milord…" said Shigure.

"What? Are the peasants going to revolt only because I had this impudent rascal shot?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that… But they would admire you much more if you fought a famed knight, even if unsuccessfully, than if you tried to kill him dishonourably. And admiration of his people is paramount for a ruler."

"Then you suggest I actually go into a contest with this buffoon?"

"I do… Milord, you are a fine warrior, there's no need in taking the very damaging and probably useless precaution of not fighting!"

Here Lord Akito opened his mouth to retort; twice. But he could really find no satisfactory answer.

Then, suddenly, he was overtaken with anger.

"Yuki's mine!" he cried "Mine, do you hear? I took him prisoner and made him mine when we routed the House of Plantagenet at Orleans alongside the Valois… And I'm never letting him go!"

Shigure looked down. Obviously, he'd gone a bit too far in advising. After some though, he retorted, but this time, he calculated his tone of his answer to be the humblest and most pleasant possible.

"And very fairly you did win him…" he said "And I confide that you can easily win him again. And… well, if worst come to worst, you can always claim Sir Hatsuharu cheated and have him shot after the joust…"  
Lord Akito's temper somewhat calmed.

"Yes…" he said, reflecting "Yes, I suppose I could…"

"You most certainly could," said Shigure.

"Very well, then," said Lord Akito "I will accept his challenge. After all, it's not like I can take him down!"

"That's the spirit, milord," said Shigure "Shall I commence the preparations for the festivities after breakfast?"

"You most certainly shall…" said Akito "And send a pageboy to inform Sir Hatsuharu that his challenge was been accepted. As for you, Doctor Hatori, go fetch me some of that excellent Grecian unguent you have, I heard it works wonders for one's strength."

And the trio finished the little food on the table with much more mirth than they had thitherto had been eating with -though everything is relative, this is Lord Akito, his doctor and his steward we're talking about, the reader shouldn't go around imagining it was the Venetian Carnival-, and then they went out to prepare for afternoon, for that afternoon the Sir Hatsuharu would fight Lord Akito for the hand of Prince Yuki.

Shigure was very satisfied with his advising.

Yet in the hallway, beyond Lord Akito's hearing range, Doctor Hatori, who hadn't spoken during the whole meal, stopped Shigure, and very sternly asked him:

"Do you really believe what you told Lord Akito?"

Shigure blinked at him:

"I believe it would be best if he followed my advice…"

"You're just trying to save Sir Hatsuharu's hide and get him to free Prince Yuki," retorted Hatori "All you want is for this to work out like some sort of romantic knight-in-shining-armour story!"

Shigure, discovered, was at a loss for a moment. But he soon composed himself, and responded in his trademark easygoing fashion.

"Well, what can I say?" he said with a smile "This is mediaeval Europe… If we don't stand up for Chivalry and romanticism, who will?"

And then, they both went off to their business, because Lord Akito would notice if they tarried any longer.

***

That afternoon, everyone who was someone, as well as a good deal of nobodies, was present at the joust. Around the fenced field where the tournament was to take place the plebe was standing on the lush green lawn, while wooden stands of seats had been prepared for Lord Akito's courtiers and other persons of category. The sun shone brilliantly at its zenith, and the banners of Castle Sohma fluttered in the fresh spring breeze.

Yet they did not flutter as much as the heart of one Prince Yuki, who, seated on stands in the seat of honour between the Steward and the Doctor dressed in the finest silk and velvet, awaited with both fear and anticipation the arrival of his lover, but also that of his tyrant.

Shigure saw that he was very uneasy.

"Very nice weather for a joust, don't you think, your Highness?" he asked casually "Beautiful sun!"

"Yes," said Yuki, distractedly "Yes, it is…"

He was obviously not in the mood for casual conversation.

Shigure, for his part, detested, despite his canine connections, playing the role of the indifferent cynic, and only did it to make the Prince more indifferent.

"But see," said he continued, equally jovial "Lord Akito comes!"

Yuki did not answer.

But indeed, marching and the clip-clop of horse hooves were heard coming from the south. And soon enough, a detachment of fully armoured halberdiers placed themselves at the entrance of the field and trumpets brayed as a herald announced:

"Lord Akito of Castle Sohma!"

And in he rode, duly applauded by the crowd, and he was a fearsome sight indeed; in his court he may have been stately, but now he was the fearsome, vicious warrior that had trounced his foes and increased his dominion tenfold. He rode a massive destrier, and was covered from head to toe in shining golden armour. In one hand, he carried a long, steel lance, and in the other a silver shield with his coat of arms, a fierce black dragon. He wore an impressively plumed helmet, and at his side hung a great broadsword that had been many times bathed in blood.

Prince Yuki, on seeing him, shuddered and feared that today that sword would be bathed in the blood of Sir Hatsuharu.

Then, the Herald spoke again:

"Sir Hatsharu, the Black Knight!"

This time there was full silence. But not in the least bit affected Sir Hatsuharu came forth from in face of whence Lord Akito had entered. Calm and indifferent to the crowd's indifference he rode onto the field on his white and noble steed. Yet this time, he was not the courtly cavalier dressed in white cloth; this time was armed to the teeth, covered in pitch black iron. On his face, the only part of his body left visible by the armour, he wore a terrifying, almost vicious smile, very far from any expression he'd worn thitherto, and all his shape exuded hatred. The change was chilling; he had, as it were, turned black.

The two knights took their positions and readied for the joust, Prince Yuki dared not speak.

"Sir Hatsharu!" shouted Lord Akito spitefully "You're here!"

Hatsuharu smirked.

"I challenged you," said Sir Hatsuharu "I'd be quite a fool if I weren't."

"Yes… I suppose you would be."

"You, on the other hand will be wishing you didn't come."

"That we shall see," said Lord Akito. T

Then he turned around at Yuki, and shouted in his usual, smirking voice:

"Prince Yuki! Your Highness is by far the noblest guest in the present company; there's royal blood in your veins. Would you please do the honours of commencing the joust?"

Prince Yuki tried to answer, but couldn't bring himself to move his lips, and so he only nodded; Shigure nudged him, and uneasily he got up.

And producing a handkerchief sewn from the finest Flanders lace, the Prince extended his trembling hand readied himself to let it fall. It was traditional, the joust would start when it touched the ground; the Prince's heart was about to burst.

Then, Sir Hatshuaru spoke again. But this time, he addressed the prized Prince in his fierce, black voice. This was the first time he spoke to him directly since he'd come, and it was almost too much for Yuki to bear.

"My Prince!" shouted the knight "My Prince, today I will shed blood in your name… pray to God it isn't mine!"

A murmur arose amongst the crown. Yuki couldn't bear it.

"Silence!" cried Lord Akito "Silence! Let us get it over with!"

Prince Yuki's mouth was trembling; he wanted to speak once again, he wanted to finally say something, but he was terrified. Yet then, Shigure turned to him. And, very softly, so only the he would hear it, he whispered.

"Go for it, your Highness…"

And Yuki took courage; and all the bottled up love and hope and despair of half a decade of captivity bursting out, he shouted, on the verge of tears.

"I love you, Hatsuharu!"

The crowd was dumbstruck. He'd said it! Prince Yuki had said it! Sir Hatsuharu's heart was flooded with joy.

But simultaneously, to this outburst, Lord Akito's calm demeanour broke down, and he flew into a rage.

"Silence!" he shouted, out of his mind "Silence! I'll kill both of you!"

Then, he lowered his lance, and so did Sir Hatsuharu. And Prince Yuki let the handkerchief fall to the ground. And as it fell, Sir Hatshuaru cried:

"I love you too, my Prince!"

Then, both riders charged.

The horse hooves thundered on the grass; the crowd was in awe; the plumes and cloths of their clothes fluttered in the wind, and their lances flashed in the brilliant sunlight as they charged at each other, until finally they clashed with a tremendous crash, one's lance hitting the other's shield.

And, with a triumphant cry from Sir Hatsuharu, Lord Akito fell to the ground.

The black knight had won!

The crowd of commoners was impressed; the crowd of courtiers were flabbergasted. The Prince's heart jumped with joy, while Sir Hatsuharu went to the seats to claim his treasured prize, as Lord Akito looked on, helpless on the ground, rage and hatred consuming him on the inside.

But he was not quite as helpless as he seemed; for as both the Steward and the Doctor very well expected, he shouted:

"Treachery!"

Then a very many things happened in a very short time span. First of all, the halberdiers, who had been poised waiting for this to happen, began to close the exits. Sir Hatshuaru, upon seeing this, started to prepare for a second battle while drawing closer othe the Prince. Said Prince who'd just gotten up, almost froze when he realized what was going on. But the Sir Hatsuharu thought of something, and turning his head around and looking Yuki in the eye, he laconically almost ordered him:

"Jump onto my horse, you idiot!"

And before the guard, and the court, and the vassals and even the Doctor –who was right next to him, and who though he appreciated him did so only within reasonable boundaries- could do anything, Prince Yuki jumped onto the saddle of Sir Hatsuharu's horse, and Sir Hatsuharu rode away without even giving the guards the time to close ranks.

***

The sun had almost set. In the west the sky was a blazing, beautiful red, whilst in the east the stars were visible and the silvery moon had already begun her ascension. And both celestial orbs shone upon all the Earth, and even across the foothills of a mountain, the very first to the South of Lord Akito's land, whence Castle Sohma was only a speck on the horizon. On those foothills grew a luxuriant green forest, and in this forest, there was a idyllic clearing, with a calm pristine, sparkling pond in its centre. And right next to the lake, in perfect bliss amongst the pleasant shade cast by the ancient trees upon the grass were Sir Hatsuharu and Prince Yuki.

With bushes as their bedcovers and mossy rocks as their pillows, the two lovers lay completely naked on the humid forest ground, their beautiful bodies intertwined in a loving embrace.

"I always knew you'd come…" whispered Prince Yuki, his head rested on the gallant knight's muscular chest.

And Sir Hatsuharu, passing his hand through the Prince's hair answered:

"I always knew I'd find you… Never once in the five years that I was searching did I stop thinking about you."

"Never once in my five years of captivity did I stop thinking about you," retorted the Prince.

Everything was silent save for the chirping of birds, the breeze rustling through the trees, and the flow of the water from a stream pristine pure lake in its centre. The two lovers could heartheir adoring heart's beating. Prince Yuki kissed Sir Hatsuharu on the mouth, and Sir Hatsuharu lazily kissed him back, while they both remembered their past woes and joyfully contrasted them with their present joys. Oh how sweet it is to think of the storm when one is safe in port!

"And…" Prince Yuki asked then "Where are we going now, Sir Knight?"

"Oh, I don't know, your Highness…" said Sir Hatsuharu, smiling "We'll head across the mountains for Barcelona… there's sure to be a ship to take us home there, they have a really big port!"

"I know they have a port in Barcelona..." said Yuki; and then he added slyly "Though I doubt any of the Catalans' ships are nearly as big as some of your attributes…"

"I don't think they are," said Sir Hatsuharu, playing along "But we'll have to take them… anyhow, we'll sail home, and I'll probably be taking you back to your family after that... eventually. The prize for bringing you back must be, like, a Duchy!"

"You'd let me go only for a simple Duchy?" exclaimed Prince Yuki, in mock indignation.

"Well…" said Sir Hatsuharu "I suppose we can take some detours…"

"Or we could postpone the trip a tad," said Prince Yuki.

"Yes," said Sir Hatsuharu "Postponing sounds good

And then they kissed again. This time passionately and lovingly, and with tongue, too!

"I love you, Prince Yuki."

"I love you too, Sir Hatsuharu."

And then, they made love. And everyone lived happily ever after.

The author very sorry if it sounds cliché, but they did! And not only the main characters, but also Shigure and Hatori, none of whose collaboration or non-opposition to the escape of Prince Yuki was noticed, and even Lord Akito, who eventually got over losing his trophy.

Though it must be stated them lived quite as happily as Prince Yuki and Sir Hatsuharu.

_"For," _as the song goes_ "Here is love, and here is truth, and here is food for joyous laughter!"_

_

* * *

_

_That verse is from the song right after "Ah, leave me not to pine" in Pirates of Penzance. My faithful readers, that is all there is to say about the loving couple. Thank you for sticking through, and I hope you liked the story._

_Sincerely  
_

_MCD_


End file.
